First published
in News
Last updated
by Chris Tate, Aire/Worth Valley Reporter

THE final barrier to the long-awaited demolition of the former Bradford and Bingley headquarters has now been lifted.

Bradford Council planning officers have now given approval to the huge project scheduled to take 24 weeks after nature surveys by owner supermarket giant Sainsbury's revealed only one roosting bat had delayed any previous work.

And vitally - that the bat had now left the blighted building in Main Street, Bingley.

Comments (24)

Good news, but the timing is bad. Along with the Otley and Leeds Roads this demolition works will slow traffic through Bingley adding more congestion to the approaches to Shipley. Does City Hall never look at the big picture?

Good news, but the timing is bad. Along with the Otley and Leeds Roads this demolition works will slow traffic through Bingley adding more congestion to the approaches to Shipley. Does City Hall never look at the big picture?sorrow&anger

sorrow&amp;anger wrote:
Good news, but the timing is bad. Along with the Otley and Leeds Roads this demolition works will slow traffic through Bingley adding more congestion to the approaches to Shipley. Does City Hall never look at the big picture?

Most traffic now use the bingley by pass,can't see this demo jog changing the way people will travel.

[quote][p][bold]sorrow&anger[/bold] wrote:
Good news, but the timing is bad. Along with the Otley and Leeds Roads this demolition works will slow traffic through Bingley adding more congestion to the approaches to Shipley. Does City Hall never look at the big picture?[/p][/quote]Most traffic now use the bingley by pass,can't see this demo jog changing the way people will travel.Out of site

sorrow&amp;anger wrote:
Good news, but the timing is bad. Along with the Otley and Leeds Roads this demolition works will slow traffic through Bingley adding more congestion to the approaches to Shipley. Does City Hall never look at the big picture?

Most traffic now use the bingley by pass,can't see this demo jog changing the way people will travel.

Exactly, and the sooner it's gone and the better.

[quote][p][bold]Out of site[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]sorrow&anger[/bold] wrote:
Good news, but the timing is bad. Along with the Otley and Leeds Roads this demolition works will slow traffic through Bingley adding more congestion to the approaches to Shipley. Does City Hall never look at the big picture?[/p][/quote]Most traffic now use the bingley by pass,can't see this demo jog changing the way people will travel.[/p][/quote]Exactly, and the sooner it's gone and the better.Albion.

What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.

What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.bcfc1903

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's a striking building which for years has given Bingley a strong identity. I love it but then again I don't live opposite it so I can see where the negative opinions come from.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's a striking building which for years has given Bingley a strong identity. I love it but then again I don't live opposite it so I can see where the negative opinions come from.Ruthydee

I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.

I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.basil fawlty

basil fawlty wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.

Agreed. It feels like the Bat Preservation lobby in the UK is about as powerful as the banking and business lobbies. Talk about having friends in high places, it's a puzzle how they ever got so much influence.

[quote][p][bold]basil fawlty[/bold] wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.[/p][/quote]Agreed. It feels like the Bat Preservation lobby in the UK is about as powerful as the banking and business lobbies. Talk about having friends in high places, it's a puzzle how they ever got so much influence.MontyLeMar

bcfc1903 wrote:
What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.

Ah, but that was in the days of John Poulson, a lot of strange things were happening within local government in those days. Home Secretaries had to resign over the goings on. The Arndale Centre was one of Poulson's.

[quote][p][bold]bcfc1903[/bold] wrote:
What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.[/p][/quote]Ah, but that was in the days of John Poulson, a lot of strange things were happening within local government in those days. Home Secretaries had to resign over the goings on. The Arndale Centre was one of Poulson's.MontyLeMar

Ruthydee wrote:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's a striking building which for years has given Bingley a strong identity. I love it but then again I don't live opposite it so I can see where the negative opinions come from.

I love seeing it on the skyline as I turn into Bingley town centre, and would happily live opposite it. I think it's a wonderful building and, as you say, is a recognisable symbol of Bingley. My daughter (aged 9) and I are both very sad that it's being demolished. It's such a shame that no-one could think of a use to put it to. In my personal opinion, even trying to turn it into flats would have been preferable to levelling it. That would certainly have created the extra footfall that the town needs in its shops, without ruining the canal area with the proposed housing estate. I never believed that we needed a large supermarket anyway; we need more small decent independent shops, and some cafes which stay open after 5.00pm (2.30pm on a Sunday!) to entice the walkers off the canal. Maybe the building could have been turned into a small shopping/eating centre.

[quote][p][bold]Ruthydee[/bold] wrote:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's a striking building which for years has given Bingley a strong identity. I love it but then again I don't live opposite it so I can see where the negative opinions come from.[/p][/quote]I love seeing it on the skyline as I turn into Bingley town centre, and would happily live opposite it. I think it's a wonderful building and, as you say, is a recognisable symbol of Bingley. My daughter (aged 9) and I are both very sad that it's being demolished. It's such a shame that no-one could think of a use to put it to. In my personal opinion, even trying to turn it into flats would have been preferable to levelling it. That would certainly have created the extra footfall that the town needs in its shops, without ruining the canal area with the proposed housing estate. I never believed that we needed a large supermarket anyway; we need more small decent independent shops, and some cafes which stay open after 5.00pm (2.30pm on a Sunday!) to entice the walkers off the canal. Maybe the building could have been turned into a small shopping/eating centre.carolyne74

bcfc1903 wrote:
What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.

If The Swan Arcade hadn't been demolished, it would have sunk into the boggy ground that the lower end of Bradford was built on. And, it isn't a monstrosity - you just happen not to like it.

[quote][p][bold]bcfc1903[/bold] wrote:
What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.[/p][/quote]If The Swan Arcade hadn't been demolished, it would have sunk into the boggy ground that the lower end of Bradford was built on. And, it isn't a monstrosity - you just happen not to like it.BEETEEE

Out of site wrote:
At least there's not going to be a mosque built there.

Best wait until your grown up before commenting on the big boys forum

Smell the coffee.

[quote][p][bold]allinittogether[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Out of site[/bold] wrote:
At least there's not going to be a mosque built there.[/p][/quote]Best wait until your grown up before commenting on the big boys forum[/p][/quote]Smell the coffee.Out of site

basil fawlty wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.

When I read that only a single bat has delayed any work on this building for many months, I thought it must be 1st April !!. Perhaps we should have gone to the court of Human Rights and complained that one bat as stopping development in Bingley !.
Let us all hope that this bat can also stop any development on Green Belt land at Primrose Lane, Gilstead, along with the other few dozen that live there. As for the local MP could he be seeking re-election, but if so can someone tell me just what he has done for Bingley ?. The same can be said of our invisible local Councillors.

[quote][p][bold]basil fawlty[/bold] wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.[/p][/quote]When I read that only a single bat has delayed any work on this building for many months, I thought it must be 1st April !!. Perhaps we should have gone to the court of Human Rights and complained that one bat as stopping development in Bingley !.
Let us all hope that this bat can also stop any development on Green Belt land at Primrose Lane, Gilstead, along with the other few dozen that live there. As for the local MP could he be seeking re-election, but if so can someone tell me just what he has done for Bingley ?. The same can be said of our invisible local Councillors.awasteoftime

BEETEEE wrote:
I think it's a shame; it may not be beautiful but it was of it's time and if a use had been found for the building it could still have made a contribution to Bingley's future.

We can thank the greedy noughties for its demise. If the management had kept their heads and remained a mutual they could still be there serving and employing the people of Bingley. But no, everyone had to demutualise and the directors wanted to be rich without actually doing any hard work. What a shower. Sold the locals and the taxpayer down the river.

[quote][p][bold]BEETEEE[/bold] wrote:
I think it's a shame; it may not be beautiful but it was of it's time and if a use had been found for the building it could still have made a contribution to Bingley's future.[/p][/quote]We can thank the greedy noughties for its demise. If the management had kept their heads and remained a mutual they could still be there serving and employing the people of Bingley. But no, everyone had to demutualise and the directors wanted to be rich without actually doing any hard work. What a shower. Sold the locals and the taxpayer down the river.MontyLeMar

BEETEEE wrote:
I think it's a shame; it may not be beautiful but it was of it's time and if a use had been found for the building it could still have made a contribution to Bingley's future.

We can thank the greedy noughties for its demise. If the management had kept their heads and remained a mutual they could still be there serving and employing the people of Bingley. But no, everyone had to demutualise and the directors wanted to be rich without actually doing any hard work. What a shower. Sold the locals and the taxpayer down the river.

I couldn't agree more. After telling fibs, the then CEO still owes me a personal cheque for £180.00

[quote][p][bold]MontyLeMar[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]BEETEEE[/bold] wrote:
I think it's a shame; it may not be beautiful but it was of it's time and if a use had been found for the building it could still have made a contribution to Bingley's future.[/p][/quote]We can thank the greedy noughties for its demise. If the management had kept their heads and remained a mutual they could still be there serving and employing the people of Bingley. But no, everyone had to demutualise and the directors wanted to be rich without actually doing any hard work. What a shower. Sold the locals and the taxpayer down the river.[/p][/quote]I couldn't agree more. After telling fibs, the then CEO still owes me a personal cheque for £180.00BEETEEE

bcfc1903 wrote:
What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.

If The Swan Arcade hadn't been demolished, it would have sunk into the boggy ground that the lower end of Bradford was built on. And, it isn't a monstrosity - you just happen not to like it.

The concrete box should have been dropped with the rest of the sixties stuff that has made way for Westfield, it has no redeeming features other than folk working in it, I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who thinks that :-), The Swan Arcade is a sad loss to Bradford.

[quote][p][bold]BEETEEE[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]bcfc1903[/bold] wrote:
What an absolute monstrosity of a building only beaten by the concrete towers on Westgate and Broadway in Bradford. How these three objects ever got planning permission is mind boggling, to think one replaced the Swan Arcade is quite incredible.[/p][/quote]If The Swan Arcade hadn't been demolished, it would have sunk into the boggy ground that the lower end of Bradford was built on. And, it isn't a monstrosity - you just happen not to like it.[/p][/quote]The concrete box should have been dropped with the rest of the sixties stuff that has made way for Westfield, it has no redeeming features other than folk working in it, I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who thinks that :-), The Swan Arcade is a sad loss to Bradford.bcfc1903

Out of site wrote:
At least there's not going to be a mosque built there.

Best wait until your grown up before commenting on the big boys forum

Smell the coffee.

I take it you're unappreciative of the efforts of 400,000 muslims fighting for us in WW1 then?

[quote][p][bold]Out of site[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]allinittogether[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Out of site[/bold] wrote:
At least there's not going to be a mosque built there.[/p][/quote]Best wait until your grown up before commenting on the big boys forum[/p][/quote]Smell the coffee.[/p][/quote]I take it you're unappreciative of the efforts of 400,000 muslims fighting for us in WW1 then?allinittogether

basil fawlty wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.

Agreed. It feels like the Bat Preservation lobby in the UK is about as powerful as the banking and business lobbies. Talk about having friends in high places, it's a puzzle how they ever got so much influence.

I feel the delay for the bat may have been more of a red herring that it may appear. After all, Sainsbury's haven't exactly been desperate to get on with the demolition phase that they indicated would start at the beginning of this year. And now that they are seems to suggest that they have at least got an interested party (or parties) willing to make an offer on the levelled site.

[quote][p][bold]MontyLeMar[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]basil fawlty[/bold] wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.[/p][/quote]Agreed. It feels like the Bat Preservation lobby in the UK is about as powerful as the banking and business lobbies. Talk about having friends in high places, it's a puzzle how they ever got so much influence.[/p][/quote]I feel the delay for the bat may have been more of a red herring that it may appear. After all, Sainsbury's haven't exactly been desperate to get on with the demolition phase that they indicated would start at the beginning of this year. And now that they are seems to suggest that they have at least got an interested party (or parties) willing to make an offer on the levelled site.fiverise

basil fawlty wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.

When I read that only a single bat has delayed any work on this building for many months, I thought it must be 1st April !!. Perhaps we should have gone to the court of Human Rights and complained that one bat as stopping development in Bingley !.
Let us all hope that this bat can also stop any development on Green Belt land at Primrose Lane, Gilstead, along with the other few dozen that live there. As for the local MP could he be seeking re-election, but if so can someone tell me just what he has done for Bingley ?. The same can be said of our invisible local Councillors.

Perhaps if you attended some of the local meetings that the Councillors attend (ie. Bingley Chamber meetings or the meeting in the church a couple of weeks back) you could ask them. There is always a local councillor at the Bingley Chamber meetings. So, not so invisible as you suggest.

[quote][p][bold]awasteoftime[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]basil fawlty[/bold] wrote:
I'm all for conservation but the fact that one bat has held up this project is ridiculous. The rules need to be changed so that the protection afforded to endangered species takes account of the negative impact on the human community.[/p][/quote]When I read that only a single bat has delayed any work on this building for many months, I thought it must be 1st April !!. Perhaps we should have gone to the court of Human Rights and complained that one bat as stopping development in Bingley !.
Let us all hope that this bat can also stop any development on Green Belt land at Primrose Lane, Gilstead, along with the other few dozen that live there. As for the local MP could he be seeking re-election, but if so can someone tell me just what he has done for Bingley ?. The same can be said of our invisible local Councillors.[/p][/quote]Perhaps if you attended some of the local meetings that the Councillors attend (ie. Bingley Chamber meetings or the meeting in the church a couple of weeks back) you could ask them. There is always a local councillor at the Bingley Chamber meetings. So, not so invisible as you suggest.fiverise

Out of site wrote:
At least there's not going to be a mosque built there.

Best wait until your grown up before commenting on the big boys forum

Smell the coffee.

I take it you're unappreciative of the efforts of 400,000 muslims fighting for us in WW1 then?

And now their intention is to rule the world.wake up.

[quote][p][bold]allinittogether[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Out of site[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]allinittogether[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Out of site[/bold] wrote:
At least there's not going to be a mosque built there.[/p][/quote]Best wait until your grown up before commenting on the big boys forum[/p][/quote]Smell the coffee.[/p][/quote]I take it you're unappreciative of the efforts of 400,000 muslims fighting for us in WW1 then?[/p][/quote]And now their intention is to rule the world.wake up.Out of site

I live in Bingley and hate the building, cant wait till its gone, and yes, I have lived in Bingley for many decades, it was always a monstrosity, a blight on the skyline, will watch with happiness from weatherspoons window with my cheap pint as it is demolished :)

I live in Bingley and hate the building, cant wait till its gone, and yes, I have lived in Bingley for many decades, it was always a monstrosity, a blight on the skyline, will watch with happiness from weatherspoons window with my cheap pint as it is demolished :)Bikerbeardy